A Saviour in the Darkness
by SawadaTsunayoshiLover
Summary: Reborn is a hitman that has closed his heart to anyone and everything. Tsuna is an abused son who lost his mother and has a drunkard for a father. When Tsuna needs somewhere to cool off from his father, the two meet. And they fall in love. R27 One-shot.


**Saviour in the Darkness**

Tsuna's dad committed murder, he was sure of it. But nobody would believe him because the word of a thirty year old over powers the word of a 15 year old. But the murder was covered up before Tsuna could even say anything.

The reason for it being covered up was because Iemitsu was a high ranking police officer. If he snapped his fingers, you would be gone in a second without any say in the matter. But Iemitsu's job was in Italy so he was barely home. But one day he came home and said he wouldn't be needed for another five years. He could help raise his already 13 year old child. Tsuna pinched his face a little but didn't say anything because his mother squealed in delight.

It wasn't until a year later did Iemitsu start turning abusive. He never laid a hand on his wife, it was always Tsuna. He hit Tsuna out of sheer frustration and being to drunk to notice. He was an angry drunk but Tsuna somehow made sure that Nana was never hurt. But it didn't stop Tsuna from getting hurt any less.

Tsuna was taken to the hospital many times. Every time Iemitsu came up with the excuse that he was mugged, bullied, or hit by something other than Iemitsu. When he was questioned how he found Tsuna he made the excuse that he found him collapsed in the doorway or in a park, asleep on a bench. Nobody ever asked Tsuna what really happened. Nana had always been out conveniently when this happened so all she knew was what Iemitsu told her.

Because Nana didn't know, Tsuna couldn't clue her in. But he had a feeling that she had an idea if the extra food and helping him with his homework when his father was asleep was any indication. But Tsuna was glad that Iemitsu didn't touch her because than that would mean his family was truly broken if the day ever came his mother got hurt.

But one day, a day before October 14, Nana wanted to give Tsuna a happy birthday for once. She asked Iemitsu to not drink for a couple of days, Iemitsu didn't listen to her and ignored her pleas. She didn't give up though and kept asking.

Finally, Iemitsu snapped and hit Nana. He yelled at her to stop bothering him and that he didn't care at all for the "stupid excuse of a son". When she wouldn't back down Iemitsu started hitting her. He didn't stop even when Tsuna came home.

He yelled at his father to stop and got in between the two. But Iemitsu had already killed his wife from hitting her too hard. Tsuna was almost next but he fainted before Iemitsu got too far. Iemitsu called the authorities in hysterics just before Tsuna passed out, Tsuna had never hated a person so much.

* * *

Two years had passed since his mother died. Tsuna was terrified to go home but he had to because he needed to be there in case his father decided to do something and needed somebody to stay in the house.

He didn't run because when he tried it once he was taken back by his father and beaten to a bloody pulp. He didn't even remember what happened for two weeks after that because he couldn't see.

But he needed to go home to watch his father carefully in case something happened. So with a heavy heart Tsuna walks home after school, walking as slow as he can without really irritating anybody.

But he's still human. He breaks and has a panic attack when it was too much. When this happens, he goes to an abandoned house on the outside of town. It's the farthest house from his own and it makes him feel a little bit better.

And that's why he was picking the lock to the window to the abandoned house six months after his last panic attack.

His fingers shook so it took a little longer than usual but he got it open and he was able to slip in quietly, locking the window again behind him. He barely noticed how there wasn't the usual dust and grime on the wall, how the walls were a nice shade of pink and there was furniture. He just focused on going to the couch he usually slept on and breathing deeply like the doctors taught him to.

He collapsed to his knees before he could make it and he couldn't get up from how much he was shaking. He pulled his knees up to his chest and started rocking, trying to calm himself down like he's done countless times before. His grip on his sides tightened as he felt he wouldn't be able to bounce back and didn't want to lose the little control of his life he already had.

His stomach churned and he felt like he couldn't breath, but he knew it wasn't true. He knew that he was safe and he was fine. But a little part in the back of his mind whispered that he wasn't and that he would die before the day was up.

Before he could scream out that the voice was wrong, he felt arms go around him. Tsuna was pulled onto a man's lap and a hand was rubbing his back. His shaking got a little better because of that but his breathing was still hard from how tight his chest felt.

He didn't know this person, he hadn't heard of somebody moving into this house, but he clung onto him like a lifeline. He didn't care who it was, he needed somebody to be there and he needed to be hugged and told he mattered. The man in front of him felt like that person in that moment.

"What's your name?" The man asked quietly. His voice was a surprise to Tsuna since he was used to gruff insults and yelling.

"S-S-Sawada T-T-Tsunayoshi, T-Tsuna for short. What's y-your name?" Tsuna's voice shook as he spoke. He tried to control his stutter but he was too terrified to say anything other than that.

The man seemed to think before answering with his name. "...My name is Reborn. Why are in my house?"

Tsuna bit back a laugh as he tried to form words. "M-My f-father isn't the best p-person to be around w-when drunk. He abuses m-me when he g-gets drunk most of t-the time. Three y-years ago he c-came home for f-five years, he started b-beating me after o-one year home. Thank god he never touched my m-mom. But she died because of him too."

Reborn nodded and his grip tightened comfortably before relaxing. He continued to rub down Tsuna's back and used his other hand to rub Tsuna's scalp. Reborn hoped that he would calm down from this because he recognized the signs of a panic attack. Luckily he was propped against a wall so he wouldn't be sitting awkwardly with his arm behind him.

"I'm guessing that nobody believed your side of the story?" Reborn's steady voice was a stark contrast to Tsuna's stuttering mess.

Tsuna nodded against Reborn's chest. He felt tears prick his eyes but he tried to rub them away. He learned to never cry in front of somebody as they would call you a sissy and not to be a wuss. But his tears wouldn't go away and he gave up after trying to wipe them away for the third time.

They burned as they traced down his cheeks but he didn't mind the burn as it was like something had released inside of him. He started to shake with sobs and Reborn understood that he needed to cry completely.

Reborn tucked Tsuna's head against his neck and carefully got up. He walked down the hall and over to the last room on the right. He stored Tsuna on the bed and quickly bounced up the stairs to get his first aid kit, some water, and sleeping pills for Tsuna.

When he got back Tsuna had already dried his tears and was curled up on his bed. Reborn just smiled lightly and put the stuff he got on the bedside table. He sat on the bed next to Tsuna and waited to see if Tsuna would start having something like a nightmare.

After a few minutes he started to doze off, it was somehow almost 10 at night. The last thing Reborn thought was, 'when did I become so soft?'

* * *

When Tsuna woke up again, he felt better. Greater then he had ever felt in a long, long time. But his eyes felt like they were glued shut, he guessed it was because he was crying before he fell asleep.

Tsuna rubbed at his eyes but hissed as a spark of pain went off in his wrist. He opened his eyes and saw that he was wearing different clothes, much more expensive than his would ever be with a white over-sized dress shirt that went almost to his knees and cotton pants the were bunched around his ankle. His legs, arms, and chest were bandaged where he was hurt and put loosely wrapped gauze over it, which surprised him greatly.

He looked around the room he was in and noticed that Reborn was watching him with calculating eyes from the edge of the bed. He shifted closer and checked that Tsuna's temperature and breathing were fine before pulling back. Tsuna had tensed as he was used to getting hit instead of careful hands.

"Don't move too much, you have a lot of bruises and they need to heal. It'll take a few weeks for them to be at least brown so try to avoid your father as much as you can." Reborn said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"T-Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry I broke in here too. I didn't expect anyone to be living here." Tsuna muttered bashfully as he played with the bed sheets, he liked the brown colour they were. It was warm and inviting, something that was never in his life.

"I can't just leave a person having a panic attack alone, even if they did break into my house." Tsuna allowed a little smile to decorate his face. "Do you have panic attacks often?"

Tsuna shrugged the shoulder that wasn't bandaged. "I don't know what you mean by often, but they happen at least once every six months. The longest I've gone without having one is when my dad went back to Italy for a routine check over for his work. I was alone for two weeks and I didn't have to worry about him beating me whenever he laid eyes on me. So I lasted almost a year before I cracked and came here."

Reborn frowned at what Tsuna said. He didn't have a very good experience with his own parents but it wasn't something that was common anymore. The teenager in front of him though, he was broken and cracked around the edges in so many places.

"I...see. Did you try running away before? Call the police or a friend?"

"I don't have friends, the police don't trust me because they think I'm a liar. And when I tried to run he dragged me back and beat me. I can't remember what happened two weeks after I was taken back."

Reborn disliked this father more and more. Nobody should do that to their child or wife. He was glad that Tsuna was able to talk to somebody that would believe him for once.

Tsuna started rubbing at his eye and flopped back down onto the mattress. Reborn looked at him with a critical eye before he flicked the blanket over Tsuna's body, noting that Tsuna was about to fall asleep. Tsuna had pulled the blanket over his head and curled on his good side before he closed his eyes.

Reborn moved to get off of the bed when a hand shot out to grip his sleeve. Reborn looked back and saw that Tsuna was peeking out through the blankets.

"Don't leave." Tsuna whispered in a terrified voice. Reborn heard once that it took days to recover from a panic attack sometimes and understood why Tsuna was scared.

"I won't. I'm just going to go get you something to eat. You'll need it once you wake up so I'll only be a few minutes." Reborn said.

His voice was soft and Tsuna nodded as he let his eyes close again. He trusted Reborn and he just hoped that he made the right decision in doing so. But for now he could only wait for Reborn to show his true colours before making a decision.

* * *

Reborn set the pasta he made for Tsuna on the counter before making his down the hall. His footsteps were light and undetectable while he walked down the hall, stopping when he was in front of the bedroom door.

He rapped lightly on the wood before he walked in. Tsuna was already sitting up, his knees pulled to his chest and rocking back and forth like he was still scared. Reborn hastened his footsteps and gently pulled Tsuna's face out of his knees.

Tsuna's eyes were red-rimmed and still leaking tears when Reborn looked at them. Tsuna looked absolutely terrified and all Reborn could do was hug back when Tsuna tackled him into a bone crushing, frantic, hug. Reborn surprised himself as he didn't mind a bit and just rubbed his hand through Tsuna's hair to calm him down some more.

"You seem to cry a lot." Reborn commented as he pulled Tsuna from the bed and to his feet. Tsuna managed a little laugh as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Sorry, I don't cry because of my father so it's better to just release like this." Tsuna let himself be led down the hall by the hand but something just occurred to him. "Where are my clothes?"

"I washed them. They're drying now. They should be done in a couple more minutes. Your clothes were full of dirt, along with yourself, so I decided to give you a change of clothes so you weren't dirtying my bed." Reborn said with a smirk at the blush Tsuna had.

"You mean to tell me, you undressed me in my sleep?" Tsuna couldn't help the blush from darkening when he said it out loud.

"Well, yes. That's exactly what happened." Reborn chuckled at Tsuna's horrified and bashful expression. "You can have a bath when your finished eating. You smell and I don't like it."

"Well sorry for having bad hygiene. My father didn't exactly let me do anything for myself. It's always for him and nobody else, unless it was the prostitute he brought home. He would be a 'gentleman' around her." Tsuna air-quoted gentleman because Iemitsu was anything but that. "That just meant he would let me eat something when he made it for her."

Reborn just rolled his eyes. "What's your father's name? You just reference him as 'my father' and nothing else."

"His name is Iemitsu. But I'm just used to calling him father because he doesn't talk to me. Just insults and beatings is all the love I get from him." Tsuna said it somewhat wistfully, missing the little freeze in Reborn's step as he heard the name.

Tsuna walked into the kitchen and smiled happily as he saw pasta. It was his favourite since he was young and his father was actually nice to him. Reborn noticed the smile and he prodded Tsuna forward with his fingers. Tsuna took the silent command happily. He could finally eat something other than convenience store food.

* * *

Tsuna liked Reborn. He was a good man, he was funny, handsome, and never pushed him away because he was only 16. But whenever Tsuna thought about Reborn like this he would blush and push it to the back of his mind. Reborn was most likely straight so he couldn't exactly confess without losing the only friend he had.

But Reborn thought that Tsuna was a great person, he was cute and was smarter than Tsuna gave himself credit for. Reborn wasn't ashamed to admit that the brunette had grown on him over the course of six months. But Reborn wasn't sure how much Tsuna had grown on him.

But one thing decided the feelings the two had. That thing; when Reborn had been held at gunpoint by one of his targets and Tsuna jumped in the way before the man could shoot.

Reborn had quickly shot the man before the man could hurt Tsuna, then rounded on Tsuna as he was livid with worry and frustration.

_"Why did you jump in front of me? He could have easily killed you, you idiot!"_ Reborn had scolded.

Tsuna just looked at him with steady eyes and said in a voice that matched his eyes. _"He was going to hurt you. Do you really expect me to just stand by and watch you get hurt, possibly killed, when I could have done something? You're my first friend and I don't want to loose you."_

Reborn had stared in shock as nobody had called him a friend before. A devil, monster, home wrecker, and a few other things. But never a friend, and Reborn** liked** that Tsuna considered him a friend. A warm feeling had spread through his chest and he let his eyes soften. He would let it slide as he had really gone soft for this 16 year old.

And Tsuna returned the feelings without even realizing it. That day had been almost four months ago. Tsuna's feelings grew for the man, Reborn's feelings doing the same.

So it was also getting increasingly harder to be around each other without them showing. Tsuna remained oblivious though as he didn't want to ruin anything. This fueled Reborn's irritation as he hated being the one to be the one to make that first move.

But it was obvious that Tsuna didn't want to do anything before he was sure of his feelings. Which was never going to happen if Tsuna had any say in the matter. But he didn't and Tsuna fell harder and harder as time passed.

Soon Iemitsu would be going back to Italy and Tsuna would graduate. Reborn had seen his grades when Tsuna had accidentally tripped and his bag spilled over the floor, the report card sliding by Reborn's feet coincidentally.

Reborn continued to tease him as he rooted through the papers Tsuna had stuck into his bag, all with failing grades. But when Reborn was done he looked over at Tsuna's blush of embarrassment and felt himself cave. He told Tsuna that he would help him with his grades.

So his grades steadily raised with the homework being the first improvement. Soon Reborn was teaching Tsuna himself as Tsuna didn't improve much in school. Only with Reborn did he improve because he actually had help for what he didn't understand.

When it was nearing the time for exams, Tsuna studied non-stop as he wanted to get into an Arts college, he loved painting and drawing but could never accomplish any without Iemitsu barging in and ruining the canvas. But he had a small sketch book that Reborn somehow got a hold of.

Reborn knew that Tsuna had to work extra hard on a painting to even have a chance at getting into the school he wanted on a scholarship. So when he walked into the living room a few weeks before school ended, he didn't expect what happened.

* * *

"Tsuna." Reborn called out as he walked into the living room.

He was ignored and saw that Tsuna had paper scattered around him. But he only really payed attention to his sketch book that he was drawing something on. Reborn couldn't see what as Tsuna was too far away.

Tsuna sat facing the couch, which was on the other side of the room, and continued to draw, completely oblivious to Reborn behind him.

Tsuna didn't acknowledge Reborn's presence as he continued to draw. Reborn sighed as Tsuna tended to do that when he was focused on finishing something. It irked Reborn to no end but he also found it cute that Tsuna was so committed to doing something.

Reborn dropped down lightly beside Tsuna and waved a hand in front of Tsuna's eyes. That snapped Tsuna out of his concentration and he looked up in confusion before he focused on Reborn's face.

"Oh. Hello, Reborn. When did you get here?" Tsuna asked, clueless that Reborn had been in the house the entire time Tsuna had been.

"That's what gets you killed." Reborn flicked Tsuna's nose and continued. "I've been here for over an hour. I was just cleaning the house up a little. What are you even drawing?"

Tsuna covered the paper with his hands and shook his head. "Not yet. It's a surprise."

Reborn raised his eyebrows in question and retracted his hand. "Alright, why are you working so hard on it? Shouldn't you be figuring out what you're doing for the painting?"

"Well, I was doing that. Then I got distracted, I couldn't concentrate on studying so I decided to start drawing. I've been working on it for twenty minutes but it's not coming out right." Tsuna looked crestfallen as he flipped the sketch book closed and placed it down on the ground.

"How do you get distracted when there is nothing but light pink paint and a grey couch in this room?"

Tsuna shrugged, but Reborn noticed a light tint of pink on his face. "I don't know really. I think I started staring out the window and then started looking at the patterns on the tree. It's pretty here and it always calmed me when I had panic attacks..."

Reborn rolled his eyes at the uncertain tone in Tsuna voice. It was so obvious that he was lying. Reborn whacked Tsuna upside the head lightly before he got up and sat on the couch behind him.

Tsuna looked up curiously before shrugging. Tsuna started to gather the papers he scattered over the floor, putting them in piles for each subject. Reborn watched him, his legs crossed and his fedora shadowing his eyes with his back against the arm rest. Tsuna gathered the piles together and stuffed them into his bag again before he stood up to put the backpack by the door.

Before he could he wobbled and fell forward. He crashed onto Reborn's lap and sat between his legs. Reborn didn't even mind and just calmly shifted. Tsuna on the other hand shrieked in surprise and clutched Reborn's thighs to steady himself.

Reborn had to bite back a laugh at the startled and bashful expression Tsuna wore underneath the blush. "Well, seems like you know how to play it smooth."

"S-Shut up!" Tsuna swatted Reborn's arm that had encircled his waist when he fell. "Sorry, I forgot that my legs fell asleep."

"So you still tried to get up? I see you're still Dame-Tsuna." Reborn shook his head in mock disappointment. Tsuna blushed even more as he knew it was true.

Tsuna looked up through his lashes at Reborn with an annoyed expression, Reborn stared back with a smug one. But Tsuna suddenly found Reborn a little too close for his liking. And then, Reborn did something he didn't expect. He was now kissing Reborn.

He blushed hard but hesitantly kissed back. He could feel Reborn smirk into the kiss so he wound his arms around Reborn's neck and deepened the kiss. He could feel the shock from Reborn and it was his turn to smirk in triumph.

The two broke away and Tsuna shrieked in embarrassment. He pushed back to the other end of the couch, a leg laid out in front of him the only thing separating the two. Reborn couldn't help the snort that slipped past him at Tsuna's reaction.

"That's the first time somebody reacted that shyly to me kissing them." Reborn commented as he fixed his fedora. He took it off, setting it onto the ground, and crossed his arms, his smirk never leaving his face.

"Well people don't exactly like me at school. People can barely stand me as it is, and when my grades started getting better they accused me of cheating. I had to prove to them that I didn't cheat before they finally believed you were helping me." Tsuna made an annoyed noise as he gestured absentmindedly.

"So that was your first kiss?" Reborn hummed in amusement before he shifted forward.

Tsuna nodded absentmindedly, fiddling with a strand of his hair the hung by his eyes. "I don't mind since most of them are annoying. A few are decent to me but they don't go out of their way to help when everyone can see I'm struggling in school or people are ganging up on me."

Reborn frowned but shook his head. "I guess you'll have to learn one more lesson before I stop becoming your home tutor."

"W-What are you talking-?!" Tsuna was cut off as Reborn pulled him forward and closed his mouth around Tsuna's.

Tsuna stiffened slightly but relaxed and wound his fingers through Reborn's shirt. He felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, feeling Reborn's heat, his lips against his own, he was elated with happiness. So he kissed back, moving his hands from Reborn's shirt to his jaw. He felt Reborn's hands encircle his waist and pull him even closer.

Soon Reborn sucked on Tsuna's bottom lip. Tsuna gasped and Reborn took the chance to deepen the kiss. Tsuna moved his hand from Reborn's jaw and wound his fingers through his hair instead. Tsuna felt Reborn poke his tongue and pushed against him as they battled for dominance.

The need for air had them parting and Tsuna's flushed face looked away to the windows.

"That was quite the unorthodox confession." Tsuna commented as he scratched Reborn's scalp before settling into a more comfortable position on Reborn's lap.

"Indeed. I'm shocked you can pronounce such a big word though."

"You ruined the moment."

"I know."

* * *

Three week before graduation. Three week and Tsuna could finally say he completed school with an A- average. He could get his diploma with the rest of his class*, and he could say he didn't have to repeat a single grade. He couldn't have been more happier because of that.

That's why he was smiling so widely after Reborn and he had finally confessed to each other. Albeit it was so unusual, it was something and that's all he wanted. So he walked around town with almost always a smile on his face.

Then he remembered his dad would be going back to Italy. That made his smile grow even wider as he wouldn't see his dad for the rest of his life, he could happily live without constant fear if he would be able to sleep soundly, if he would eat that night or just throw it up later on in the night because of his dad.

But one thing bothered him. His father hadn't done anything to him, didn't even look at him. It unnerved Tsuna as he was waiting for something to happen. He had always heard about the calm before a storm, the worst always coming after it.

When Tsuna came home that night, he really hated that his father would be there. For most of the month, Iemitsu had been out. Tsuna could finally eat and study before Iemitsu got home.

But Iemitsu wasn't at the bar that night. He was waiting for Tsuna to come home in the living room. Calmly sipping on some tea that Tsuna had bought to help his nerves when he was recovering from a panic attack. Tsuna was instantly suspicious.

"Oh, you're home. Where've you been?" Iemitsu asked it like they were a normal father and son.

"Why do you care? You've never cared what I've done before and it's creepy...Don't tell me you're high." Tsuna narrowed his eyes and skirted the couch Iemitsu was sitting on, keeping close to the wall.

Iemitsu just laughed. It was a humourless laugh that was more of a bark."Well, I'm curious. No, I'm not high either. I haven't smoked since you were 15. Now, where've you been?"

"N-No where. I was just visiting a friend." Tsuna decided staying any longer would be a bad idea. "I'm going to my room. Try to keep the sex noises down."

Tsuna's footsteps quickened when he heard the couch creak with Iemitsu's weight leaving the frame. His grip on his bag got tighter and he just stepped on the first stair when his hair was wrenched.

Tsuna screeched but it was muffled by Iemitsu placing a hand over his mouth. His eyes watered as his hair was yanked harder, then he was pushed away from the stairs. He stumbled and fell down, his hands flying out to stop himself, and landing with a smack.

A kick to his back and he was on his stomach on the ground, his bag spilling paper everywhere. He glanced at Iemitsu through his lashes and saw a cruel smirk on Iemitsu's face.

"I never thought you were one for cheek. You're usually so quiet, the sounds you make are the best though." Iemitsu commented as he pushed harder against Tsuna's back.

Tsuna cried out weakly as he struggled to get out from underneath Iemitsu's foot. Iemitsu just pushed harder against his foot and sighed. Iemitsu grabbed Tsuna's hair again and started dragging Tsuna down the hall.

Tsuna knew what was coming next, how could he not? He hated that he couldn't do anything other than that. But nothing ever hit him. He peeked an eye open and blew a breath out of his nose as some of the tension released from his body.

Iemitsu didn't look like he was going to hit him. He was just smirking down at Tsuna's shivering form. Iemitsu gave one final wrench and threw Tsuna into a closet at the end of the hall.

Tsuna skidded across the small space and hit the wall with a loud thump. Iemitsu walked in and stomped on Tsuna's rib cage though before he spit on Tsuna's form and walked out.

"I'll be gone in Thursday morning. I sold the house so don't bother coming back!" Iemitsu called back as he closed and locked the door behind him.

_'No argument there.' _Tsuna thought as he tried to sit up.

But Tsuna couldn't move. He curled his fingers into a ball from the pain before it unclenched and scratched at the floor. His body was racked by wet coughs, spit dribbling onto the floor as he continued to cough. His hand that wasn't clenched in the fabric of his shirt was scratching the ground and leaving marks.

His coughing subsided and was replaced by haggard breathing. He was able to relax his body enough that it wasn't tensed but he couldn't stop the pain that coursed through him. He tried to move at least a little but whenever he moved in the slightest, he would feel a jolt of pain.

Tsuna tried to gasp in a breath and calm down but it burned when he breathed. He clenched his hand into a fist again as he felt his breath hitch. He was panting now as he couldn't get enough air. He was sure that his rib was dislocated now, it had happened before and that was the one time he was found by somebody.

* * *

Yamamoto had been coming back from baseball practice and saw that somebody was collapsed at the other end of the field where it was the most secluded. Tsuna was unconscious because of his father and was dumped there by him too. Yamamoto had jogged over and saw that Tsuna was barely awake and panting. He crouched next to him and placed a hand on Tsuna's forehead.

"Hey there, Tsuna. Why are you sleeping here?" Yamamoto had asked innocently.

Tsuna grimaced as he moved his head to look at Yamamoto. Tsuna's eyes looked glazed and his words slurred. "I'm not sleepin' here. I can't move so I nee' you to help me."

"Sure what do you need me to do?" Yamamoto asked, an easy going grin plastered on his face.

"I...I need you to place you han' here." Tsuna indicated where by pointing to right side, near the bend in his torso. "Push there and don't stop, even when I start screamin'. Stop when I say it's good. Can you do that?"

Yamamoto pursed his lips before nodding slowly. "Sure Tsuna, but why?"

"I'll tell you when you're finished. Is anybody here?"

Yamamoto looked around before he answered. "Not that I can see. I came back to pick up some stuff I forgot. So do I push...here?"

Tsuna bit back a scream of pain and nodded. "Yes, push there. Listen to my direction' but don't stop when I scream. Alright?"

"Sure..." Yamamoto narrowed his eyes slightly but mentally shrugged. He would find out soon. So he gently pushed against Tsuna's side.

He started feeling bad when Tsuna shrill scream pierced the air. But he never screamed for him to stop so he pushed a little bit harder.

"You can stop now!" Tsuna said as he panted through his pain. Yamamoto immediately pulled his hands back and set them on the ground. "You don't have a anything like a roll of gauze do you?

"Nope, that's in my bag. It's in the locker room. Do you want me to run back and get it?" Yamamoto asked as he was about to get up to do exactly that.

"No...No, it's fine. I'm guessing you want to know why you had to do that?" When Yamamoto nodded Tsuna sighed and let his head drop onto the grass underneath him. "Fine, I had a dislocated rib. You had to pop it back into place since you were the closet person to me. Thank you by the way. But I'm fine now, I just need to sleep so I won't be in school for a while."

"Aren't you supposed to go to the hospital for that?" Yamamoto asked as he watched Tsuna struggle to sit up.

"Yes, but I can't afford to go to the hospital. So you're the next best thing," Tsuna dropped back down onto the grass as he rested his head on his left forearm, the other clutching at the ground beside him. "Do you...Do you have any Aspirin? I feel like chest might just cave in any minute now."

Yamamoto didn't answer immediately as he picked Tsuna up, shifting him on his back so he could hold Tsuna's thighs better. Tsuna had let out a sound between a scream and a grunt when he was lifted off of the ground but quieted down when Yamamoto started walking. "I don't have any Aspirin, sorry."

"Damn. Where are you going?" Tsuna muttered, his breath tickling Yamamoto's neck as he talked.

"I'm taking you to my house. My dad knows how to do this stuff." Tsuna had started pushing away from Yamamoto so he clenched his hands tighter around Tsuna's thighs. "No, you're going to him. I don't care what you say because I know that something more is going on that you're telling me. So suck it up."

"Fine, but I'm haunting you if I die." Tsuna muttered before he passed out, going limp against Yamamoto.

The next time Tsuna woke up was when he heard footsteps around him and hushed voices talking about something. He let out a soft groan of pain as he shifted on the bed. The voices stopped and he felt a hand go to his forehead.

He opened his eyes and looked at somebody he had never met before. When he was about to move away in fear, Yamamoto stepped around his dad and smiled. "Hey Tsuna, this is my dad. You don't have to be afraid of him."

"H-Hello then. But, why am I here?" Tsuna asked in a small voice.

"I brought you here. You can't fall asleep on the grass, especially if I had to pop one of your ribs back into place." Tsuyoshi looked between his son and Tsuna with an astonished look on his face.

"Tsuna-kun, why do you have a dislocated rib?" Tsuyoshi asked as Tsuna snapped his head over to him.

Tsuna looked away from the both of them and shook his head. "It's nothing. I just twisted the wrong way."

"No you didn't. Tell me what really happened." Tsuyoshi said patiently as he brushed hair out of Tsuna's eyes. Tsuna flinched when he felt Tsuyoshi touch him but relaxed when he realized he wouldn't be hurt.

"It's nothing." Tsuna repeated.

Tsuyoshi frowned and pressed further. "Are you really sure it's nothing? I don't think a dislocated rib is very common so you need to tell us what happened so we can help you."

Tsuna's lip twitched as he was tempted to spill everything to the two. But then he remembered his father was to blame for this entire situation and it was even more tempting. So he did.

"My...father was the one who gave me the dislocated rib." Tsuna started carefully. He heard an intake of breath and looked up to see Tsuyoshi have a clearly angered face. "It's not really anything that bothers me that much any more. I'm used to it but I'm begging you, don't tell anybody. If he finds out that I told, it will be worse than a dislocated rib."

Tsuyoshi was having an inner conflict and was clearly angered with what Tsuna said. "How long has this been going on?"

"When I was...13 he came back from Italy. He's a government official over in Italy so he can't come back very much, but he was aloud to come home for 5 years to help take care of his son. I already in middle school but he came back, and he started beating me when I was 14. He never touched my mom, never laid a hand on her, until a day before my 15th birthday.

"She was beaten to death from my dad and it was covered up because he's powerful in Italy. But I walked in from school when she stumbled into the front room. She died in my arms." Tsuna was crying now and closed his eyes, rubbing his sleeve over his eyes to stop the tears that burned when they spilled. He had started talking, he didn't know why he was telling the most popular kid in school this, but it all came tumbling out.

"He beat me after I got in the way and I fainted before he could get too far. But he acted like it was a burglar that killed his wife and hurt his son, he called the police, and his act was oh-so perfect that nobody believed me when I said that it was his fault."

Tsuna rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the tears as it was hard to see now. He felt arms go around him and he froze as he wasn't used to being touched gently. He snapped his eyes open and saw Tsuyoshi hugging him with Yamamoto almost joining. He felt his shoulders shake from suppressed sobs and he allowed himself to bury his head into Tsuyoshi's neck.

That was the day that Tsuna finally understood what was so great about a father's love.

* * *

Tsuna jerked awake. He must have fallen asleep and had a dream that was a memory. He treasured what happened that day because every few weeks, his father would go a little too far and he would walk with a limp the next day. Yamamoto would notice because he would be late that day. Yamamoto would then walk up to him and ask him how he was doing, what happened this time, and just stick around to give him companionship when he needed it most.

After a while, this started happening almost everyday because Yamamoto found himself liking Tsuna as the little brother he never had. So they hung out at school, said their goodbyes at the gate, and would resume in the morning the next day they had school. They were good school friends and it helped Tsuna's school life to have somebody to talk to.

But Yamamoto went to a different school now. Yamamoto got a baseball scholarship to a college and left to America at the start of the year. So Tsuna was alone for the year, but he didn't mind that much since Reborn was with him now.

Tsuna bit back a scream as he pushed off of the wall. He refused to just sit here waiting for stuff to help him. He would do something, he wouldn't rely on people to save him every time.

Tsuna clawed at the floor to push himself along to the closet door. His dad didn't lock it so he was able to fumble it open. He fell forward when the door opened and use his forearm to crawl towards his backpack that was still strewn on the floor. He had to muffle his scream of pain in his arm as he moved.

He reached his backpack and shuffled through it until his hand came into contact with plastic. He sighed in relief and pulled out the cell phone Reborn had given him, telling him if he ever needed him, call at any time. It only worked a few times but Tsuna never used it as he just walked through town to Reborn's house most of the time. But this time, he could barely move without screaming.

He fumbled to open the phone and struggled to remember the number Reborn had told him to call. He let his head fall onto his arm and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to remember. It suddenly jumped to the front of his mind and he gave a small cheer as he dialled it.

"Please, please wake up, Reborn." Tsuna muttered into his arm as the dial tone started.

A few seconds passed and Tsuna tensed, ready to hang up. He didn't want to inconvenience Reborn, he hoped he wouldn't be too upset about him calling. But the click and a gruff but tired voice answered. "What do you want? It's one in the morning and I was asleep. This better be good."

Tsuna felt a laugh slip out of his mouth at the answer. "Sorry about that. I just-just need some help."

He felt rather than heard Reborn bolt up from his bed as he talked. "Tsuna? Why are you calling me at this ungodly hour?"

"Well, my dad, uh, dislocated my rib. I can't move that much. Mind coming over so you can pop it back in place?" Tsuna's voice was slightly muffled as he was talking with his mouth in his arm.

The rustle of clothes on the other line and soft breathing was his answer for a moment. "I'll be over as soon as I can. Stay on the line while I get dressed."

Tsuna nodded then remembered that Reborn couldn't see him. "Sure, I need something to take the mind off of the pain any ways."

A soft chuckle came through the line. "Where's your dad now?"

"I don't know. I think he went to a bar or something. He tossed me into a closet, growling that he was going back to Italy and not to come back. That's a miracle and a half right there."

"Hmm, do you remember what happened to get a dislocated rib?"

"Yes, he kicked at my back. He must have hit it at a weird angle because this has really only happened once before. But I don't know. I passed out a few minutes after he left."

"How long ago did he leave?"

Tsuna paused and turned to the clock in the kitchen to check. "Four hours I think. You have a little under two hours to get here."

"Yeah, it's cutting it close but I'll make it." There was a few rushed movements on the other side and Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows. He guessed Reborn had put his vest on and was running because he was finished getting dressed.

"Don't hurt yourself getting here." Tsuna muttered as he felt his eyes droop. He clenched his fists to stop himself and felt the short spark of pain. It mingled with the rest of his pain soon enough though so it didn't help.

A snort of derision followed his comment. "I think you should be more worried about yourself. Your rib could puncture a lung then you would be forced to go to a hospital."

"No! No, no hospitals. I don't think it'd be possible to pay off the bills with no money." Tsuna said quickly as he snapped his head up.

"Fine, you'll be stuck in my house for the next few weeks though."

"I don't mind that too much." Tsuna muttered as his cheeks burned. He heard a chuckle and made a face. "Don't laugh at me. I'm confessing my undying love to you." Tsuna said sarcastically.

"Keep telling yourself that." Reborn's voice sounded tight but sarcastic all the same.

Tsuna smiled and set his chin onto his forearm. "You sound shy. Not used to hearing that type of thing from a guy?"

"Please. I've had people throw themselves at me before. Both guys and girls alike. You, on the other hand, have never had a relationship in your life so don't even talk to me until you get some experience."

"You sound quite vain, Reborn. I never knew you were like that." Tsuna felt his eyes droop again and heard the exhaustion in his voice.

"When I get there, remind me to smack you. But I'm almost there so don't you dare faint on me."

Tsuna smiled and nodded. "Sure, but I make no promises."

The two were silent for a moment and it was a comfortable silence. He was drifting by now and it was an effort to speak. He couldn't even hold the phone against his ear any more. He felt his hand drop to the floor and the phone clatter to the ground, sliding a few meters in front of him from the force.

He dimly heard his name being called on the phone but he couldn't bring himself to answer, so he listened.

"Tsuna, I'm right around the corner. Don't faint on me yet because it'd be better if you didn't." Reborn sounded frantic as his façade was dropping off from worry. Tsuna moved his head so he could listen better but it all sounded like he was in a tin can by now.

He heard the clatter of the door and realized his father must have locked it. He sighed as he buried his face into his arms again and waited for something to happen. The jiggling of the lock was the only sound he heard for the next 15 seconds and he knew that the person on the other side of the door was going to try his hardest to help him.

That thought made him smile. He finally found somebody to accept him.

He heard the door open and close but he didn't look up. He just moved his fingers so the person would know that he was awake. He couldn't remember the name, it started with an 'R' though.

A hand on the small of his back made him jerk as he looked over at the man. The name rushed back and he felt the name leave his lips. "R-Reborn."

Reborn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, the one and only."

Tsuna felt relief course through him as he nodded. "Thankfully. But I kind of need you to pop my rib in place now."

A chuckle followed his observation. "That's why I woke up at one in the morning for. Where's your first aid kit?"

Tsuna pointed a finger behind him and towards the stairs. "In my room there's an advanced one. If you want the simple one, that's in the bathroom."

The hand on his back left and footsteps running up the stairs echoed through the house. A moment later. The hand was back and he felt Reborn gently tilt his face up from his arms. He held a small hand towel in his hands and prodded it into Tsuna's mouth. "Bite down on this. It'll help so you don't bite your tongue."

Tsuna nodded and bit down, squeezing his eyes shut as he readied himself. He felt Reborn place his hand carefully against the spot of his rib, starting to push against it. Tsuna's scream of agony was muffled as he bit down harshly on the towel.

Reborn had to manoeuvre the bone back to his socket so Tsuna was crying by the time he was finished. When he removed his hand he dug through the first aid kit he got Tsuna's room, took out the bandages that most would use for a sprained wrist, and wrapped it quickly around Tsuna's torso to keep the rib in place.

Tsuna was panting and removed the towel from his mouth. He was sitting up so Reborn could wrap the bandage around him but he couldn't keep himself up as he collapsed sideways into Reborn's chest.

"Thanks. I don't know a lot of people that would do that." Tsuna said between pants as sweat ran down his face. Reborn's chest rumbled as he spoke.

"I'm not most people. You can fall asleep now since your rib's in place again." Reborn felt Tsuna nod and shift so he was comfortable against Reborn.

Reborn leaned forward and placed his arms underneath Tsuna's knees and against his shoulders. He felt the scream of discomfort and pain rather than heard it when Tsuna buried his head into his neck. Tsuna fell asleep soon after Reborn started walking, the silence and the rhythmic tapping of Reborn's feet helped him fall asleep.

* * *

Tsuna felt a weight on his side when he was finally able to wake up. He guessed the obvious that Reborn was beside him. He looked over, saw Reborn sleeping peacefully, his arm slung over Tsuna's hips, and mouth parted in a relaxed sleep.

Tsuna smiled and curled his finger through the side burn that wasn't against the pillow. He twirled it around his finger and managed a laugh when Reborn glared at him.

"What are you doing?" Reborn demanded as he gently uncurled Tsuna's finger from his hair, gripping the hand in one of his.

"I don't know, I don't really get to touch them but you were still asleep so I took the chance." Tsuna shrugged.

He coughed after he finished talking. He had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop anything from flying out. Reborn didn't even hesitate as he just swung out of the bed and onto the other side. He gently rubbed over Tsuna's heart before pulling Tsuna's hand away and putting a glass of water in Tsuna's hand.

"Drink this. I'll give you some pain killers later but just sleep some more." Reborn had to help Tsuna drink as Tsuna's hands got shaky when he held it.

"W-What time is it?" Tsuna asked as he curled on his side, the blankets pooled around him.

Reborn looked at his watch and smirked. "It's five past nine. You've been asleep for almost two days."

Tsuna nodded and wriggled farther down under the comforter. He smiled lightly as he pulled the blanket closer and drifted to sleep. He knew he was safe.

* * *

Tsuna woke up to the bed bending underneath Reborn's weight next to him. Tsuna rolled onto his stomach and stretched like a cat. He only felt a slight twinge of pain when he moved so he was glad.

"How the hell can you sleep through all of that?" Reborn grumbled. Tsuna looked at him funny as he had no idea what Reborn was talking about.

"What do you mean? There wasn't anything going on right?" Tsuna wasn't sure what he missed but he wasn't sure if it was good or not.

"It's nothing. You don't need to worry about it."

Tsuna furrowed his eyes brows but nodded anyway. He laid back down and pulled the blankets up to his chin, closing his eyes and burying his nose into the blankets. He felt them shift and knew that Reborn was getting underneath as well.

Tsuna shifted back so Reborn had room, he knew that Reborn was uncomfortable with close proximity, but squeaked when he felt arms wrapped around his hips. Tsuna snapped his eyes open and saw that Reborn was smirking with his eyes closed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tsuna hissed, his embarrassment evident.

"I don't know, I feel like cuddling today. Consider yourself lucky since you're the only person's who managed this. Reborn commented as he pulled Tsuna closer, the only thing separating them clothes.

Tsuna felt heat rush to his face. He buried his face in Reborn's chest to stop it from being obvious. The chuckle he got didn't convince him. But Tsuna didn't mind as he just gripped the front of Reborn's black T-shirt.

The two stayed like that until they fell asleep. Before Tsuna fell asleep though, he felt something brush against his forehead and the muttered words of 'I like you, too' mouthed against his forehead.

He smiled sleepily as he shifted around and buried his face into the crook of Reborn's neck.

* * *

Tsuna was the first one to wake up the next morning.

He blearily blinked his eyes open as he decided he might as well get up. He felt a weight on his waist and looked up to see Reborn asleep with his face dangerously close to Tsuna's. He couldn't fight the blush that rose to his face as he couldn't move without waking Reborn up.

He wriggled around onto his back and threaded his fingers through Reborn's as he looked out of the window. The sun was just over the horizon and set the sky alight with different colours of pink, purple, blue, and red mixing with green. He liked painting the sunset and sunrise because of the colours but he had only been able to when he slept over in the past before he met Reborn.

He felt Reborn shift beside him and he looked over to see Reborn pull him back against his chest. Tsuna barely had time to react before his face heated up in embarrassment. He didn't try to struggle though as he just wriggled a little to get comfortable. He placed his arms in the small gap between them and closed his eyes for a minute.

He was going to enjoy this because he knew that something was going to happen that would make their relationship turn sour. But he had hope that he wouldn't be killed by his father in the next couple of weeks. He wanted to graduate thank you very much.

The rustling of clothing was the only sound in the room besides the quiet breathing. Tsuna didn't know it but Reborn was awake when he had pulled Tsuna towards him, he also wanted this moment to last, as Reborn didn't know what would happen in the next few hours. He felt like he wouldn't be able to meet Tsuna again when the day was over.

So the two sat like that, enjoying each other's presence as they drifted and lazed around. But Reborn had stuff to do so he untangled himself from Tsuna, who was just barely awake, and took some clothes to get dressed.

Tsuna just rubbed at his eyes. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had no exams to study for, his painting was done and already sent to be judged, he was never paid any money so he had nothing, and Reborn had told him that he had a job today. He also had no clothes to wear so he had no idea what he was going to do.

Reborn came back ten minutes later, hair wet, and his clothes hanging loosely from his body. Tsuna was sitting up in the bed and was looking out of the window as he thought. He heard Reborn walk in and looked over with a neutral face. It soon morphed into a deep red as he quickly looked back at the window.

Reborn chuckled and walked over to the little closet on the other side of the room. "If you're going to act like that I might as well come in with only a towel on each time."

Tsuna grumbled something inaudible as he pulled the blanket closer to him. "I will never come back here if you do that."

"Oh? I thought you liked looking at me." Reborn asked as he stepped out of the closet, adjusting the fedora on top of his head.

Tsuna mouthed the words with a mocking face but didn't say anything else. Reborn gave a crooked smile as he thought of something.

Reborn walked forward and wrapped his arms around Tsuna's waist. Tsuna squeaked, as he didn't expect it, and he blushed a light pink. Reborn leaned down and pecked Tsuna's cheek before pulling back, snagging Tsuna's hand as he did, and walked over to the closet.

Reborn pushed Tsuna into the closet and leaned against the door frame as he spoke. "Pick anything that might fit and get a towel. Go take a bath while I get you some food."

Tsuna blinked and turned around, staring wide-eyed at Reborn. "You expect me to wear any of this? I'm clumsy enough as it is but I'd be too nervous to watch my feet in these." Tsuna gestured dismissively to the pants that looked a little too long for him.

Reborn sighed as he walked forward and picked out a white dress shirt and black slacks for Tsuna. They looked like they would fit and he tossed them at Tsuna. He barely caught them before they fell on the floor. "Those should fit, if they don't, roll the sleeves and/or pant legs up. You can't wear your uniform for three days straight without it at least being washed."

Tsuna made a face but walked over to the door. "I'll wear them but don't complain if they rip. I did warn you."

Reborn chuckled before he pushed Tsuna ahead of him. "I still have to check the bandages to see if they need to be changed."

Tsuna stuck his tongue out and walked out of the room to the bathroom. He came back 20 minutes later and sat on the bed. Reborn crouched in front of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. Tsuna's hands twitched, as he was uncomfortable with being undressed like this.

"Relax, I'm not going to rape you or anything." Reborn said, amusement clear in his voice. Tsuna's face turned a very dark pink at Reborn's comment.

"Not like I'd mind. It wouldn't be rape until I started saying no." Tsuna muttered. Reborn just flicked Tsuna's forehead.

"Keep talking like that. See what happens." Reborn said as he stared up at Tsuna. "Sit up straight. If you slouch, there's a chance the rib will dislocate again."

Tsuna looked away and out the window again as Reborn unwrapped the bandages. He followed Reborn's instructions and straightened his back, a hum of approval came from Reborn.

There was a moment of silence between the two as Reborn looked Tsuna over. He unwrapped the bandages fully and tossed them onto the bed before standing up and walking out of the room.

"Stay there, I'll be right back." Reborn called over his shoulder as he walked out of the door. Tsuna was confused as to what just happened but followed his instructions.

Reborn came back a few minutes later, carrying a bag of ice with him. "Put this on your back. It'll help with the bruises you have. Lay down on your stomach."

Tsuna nodded and laid down, the bag of ice wrapped in cloth feeling nice against his many bruises. The bed next to him dipped as Reborn sat back down. He felt Reborn start to run his hand through his hair and Tsuna moved into the touch. Reborn scratched Tsuna's scalp lightly as he continued.

"Tsuna", Reborn called out, catching his attention, "what else did your father tell you before you passed out the first time?"

"He told me he was going to Italy. And he would be gone in the tomorrow night so don't bother coming back." Tsuna answered, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought. "He was being nice to me before he hurt me too. It was weird."

"How was he being nice?" Reborn asked as he pulled hair away from Tsuna's eyes.

"He asked where I was and welcomed me home. Only my mom's ever done that." Tsuna's voice caught when he said 'mom'.

"I see...I need to go somewhere for a few hours. I'll be back soon. While I'm gone, remember that you need to ice your back for 15 minutes each hour." Reborn said as he picked up the ice bag from Tsuna's back. He stood up and threw the blanket back over Tsuna as he walk around the bed to a bookcase.

"How long will you be gone?" Tsuna asked as he sat up, pulling his shirt on as he spoke.

"I'm not sure. 5 hours at the max, about an hour at the least." Reborn tossed a book onto the bed beside Tsuna. "Read that if you get bored. It'll keep you occupied for a while."

Tsuna made a face at Reborn before picking the book up. It was a Stephen King book called The Shining.

"You really want me to read The Shining?" Tsuna asked incredulously at Reborn.

Reborn smirked and walked back over to the bed, settling on the edge in front of Tsuna. "You'll like it. I'll be going now." Reborn caught Tsuna's face and pecked him on the lips before standing up and walking to the door.

"Don't get yourself killed." Tsuna called to Reborn's back as he start reading the back of the book.

"You know me, I never do."

* * *

Reborn grumbled to himself as he dragged the body through the back alley. Somebody had recognized him in the bar when he was tracking Iemitsu and attacked him. It almost blew his cover but Iemitsu was drunk right now. That was a good thing as he also wasn't fast and would be easy to take down, in theory.

Reborn dragged the body to a nearby garbage can and hefted him into it. He pulled of the rubber gloves he had on, walking away from the scene to a garbage can a few blocks away, and tossed them in. He had just wasted half an hour on this person and he could have messed up his entire plan.

He needed to get Iemitsu while he was drunk so he would either put up a fight or just stagger around before collapsing. It worked for an hour, until a lowly assassin walked into the bar and spotted him in one of the booths.

Reborn noticed the scared look, immediately getting up, and pushing the assassin out of the door. People were either too drunk to pay attention or too set on getting drunk to care.

When he walked back in, he silently hoped that the guy rotted in hell. Iemitsu was gone, glass still half full, and a few bills on the counter beside it. Reborn turned around and walked out of the bar, his mood dampening.

He asked one of the security guards where Iemitsu went and he pointed towards the construction park. Reborn said his thanks with a smirk as he walked towards the direction. He was careful to stay out of the light so the guard didn't see his face.

But he felt apprehension as he started walking. He saw some scuff marks where the side walk turned to dirt and gravel. He followed those and saw that somebody was leaning against the fence in one of the construction sights near his house. When they were actually working on it, it kept Reborn up from the noise. He hated it since he was a light sleeper.

He neared the person and knew that it was Iemitsu. He smirked in triumph as he stayed just out of viewing range and took a gun out of the holster strapped to his chest. Iemitsu suddenly snapped his head up and over to Reborn's exact location. They met each others eyes and Reborn knew he was found out.

"Long time, no see, Reborn!" Iemitsu called out as he straightened from the fence. He walked forward and gestured for Reborn to do the same.

"Don't call my name out so casually!" Reborn said heatedly back. "How do you even know my name in the first place?"

"I have access to a lot of files not accessible to the public." Iemitsu shrugged as he smirked arrogantly.

Reborn growled and walked away from the foliage he was hiding in. Iemitsu seemed victorious over something and it made Reborn bristle as he waited for an attack. His gun was still out and he flipped the safety off in case.

"Well! The greatest hitman in the world stands in front of me. I'm so honoured!" Iemitsu fake swooned, holding the back of his hand against his forehead. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was ordered to kill you by my boss. You're in too deep with the human and drug trafficking. You need to be stopped so your business falls apart." Reborn shrugged as he levelled the gun to Iemitsu's head.

Iemitsu wasn't even fazed as he just raised his arms to the side in a taunting manor. "Go ahead then. Shoot."

"Alright." Reborn lowered the gun and shot both of the man's knees so he couldn't run. He ran forward and clamped a hand over Iemitsu's mouth to muffle the scream. "Don't test me to see if I'm serious."

Iemitsu looked terrified as he stared at Reborn, tears gathering in his eyes from pain. Reborn pressed the barrel of the gun into Iemitsu's shoulder and pulled the trigger again. The shot was muffled by the shoulder and Iemitsu struggled. Reborn rolled his eyes as he stomped on one of Iemitsu's ruined knees.

"Stop moving or it'll be worse. Understand?" Reborn said as he ground his heel into the knee cap. Iemitsu howled in agony but managed a nod. "Good, now: where is your base of operations?"

He removed his hand so Iemitsu could answer. "Like I'd tell you."

Reborn sighed in mock disappointment as he shot Iemitsu in the forearm. He placed his hand over Iemitsu's mouth to stop the scream again before asking another question. "If you won't tell me where, at least tell me why?"

He removed his hand and Iemitsu spit blood in his face. "Go to hell."

"Meet you there." Reborn shot Iemitsu in the head twice, emptying his cartridge.

Reborn stood up from his crouch and started cleaning up the crime scene of anything that might link him to the murder. He heard a clatter to his left and he whipped around, pointing the gun at the person's head as he did.

Tsuna screeched in surprise. "Don't shoot, don't shoot. He came and took me out of the house!"

Reborn cursed and bounded over where Tsuna was. "Did he hurt you again?"

"No, no. It was nothing. He just slapped me to keep me quiet, so I'll have a mark on my mouth but that's about it." Tsuna was using a forced happy voice. Reborn felt a twinge of sadness when he heard it.

"That's good. Let me see so we know if you need a bandage or not." Reborn placed both hands on either side of Tsuna's face and he saw the fear that was hidden behind the up beat façade Tsuna was using. "You're fine. It'll heal in a couple of days. Let's get you home so you can sleep."

Reborn felt Tsuna move onto his tip-toes and kiss him. He responded with kissing back and he watched Tsuna close his eyes, grabbing onto Reborn's waist to steady himself.

Reborn knew that things would be different now. Tsuna just watched him kill the only remaining family he had, torture him before actually killing him, and ask him about a human and drug trafficking ring that Iemitsu ran. There was no way Tsuna would accept all of that at once or ever. He was barely 18.

Tsuna pulled away from the kiss and turned around. He started walking back to the house the two probably shared now. Reborn followed at a distance as he knew that Tsuna was upset with him. It was obvious, even if Tsuna wanted to hide it.

They reached the house and Tsuna went towards the window as he always does. Reborn rolled his eyes at the stupidity of him.

"Tsuna, I don't think it's a very good idea to bend over." Reborn called out as he watched Tsuna open the window.

He seemed to think about it before answering. "You're probably right. I'll James Bond my way in than."

"What do you call what you usually do?" Reborn asked as he looked at Tsuna with amusement.

"My everyday entrance. If I fall, then it's a grand entrance."

Reborn rolled his eyes as he walked over and tugged on Tsuna's arm. "Don't be stupid. You'll probably do something to yourself without realizing it."

Tsuna stuck his tongue out childishly as he shrugged Reborn off. "Reborn, you sound like a parent instead of my love interest."

"Oops." Reborn said as he walked towards the door and opened it. He let Tsuna enter first out of manners and locked it when he was inside. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"Nah, I'm good." Tsuna said as he walked to the bedroom. Reborn followed and saw Tsuna flop down, careful not to aggravate his rib, and shimmy up the bed to the pillows.

The book was upside down on the bedside table, almost halfway done, and Tsuna leaned over to pick it up. He picked it up and smoothed out the page as he started reading again. Reborn walked over and laid beside Tsuna, propping his head up with his arm. He took his fedora off, brushing his hair away from his eyes as he looked over at Tsuna.

Reborn sat farther away than he normally would have, giving Tsuna space. He closed his eyes and hummed a song under his breath. Tsuna gave him a weird look as he did before questioning it.

"Why are you so far away?" Tsuna asked as he bookmarked his page with his finger.

"I'm giving you space. You can't read if I'm so close." Reborn shrugged as he turned his head to look at the ceiling.

"No, you're just being weird. What's wrong?" Tsuna asked as he faced Reborn.

"Nothing. I just thought you wouldn't want me so close all the time. It's nothing really." Reborn placed a hand on his abdomen in a relaxed posture. Tsuna knew that it was because he was nervous or full of unease.

"It's not nothing. You're acting weird and I don't like it. Did something happen today?" Tsuna asked innocently as he shifted so he was sitting beside Reborn.

"Nothing much." Reborn said sarcastically as he looked away and towards the wall. "Just killed your father. While you act like it's nothing."

"Because it doesn't matter." Tsuna said steadily. Reborn snapped his head over and saw that Tsuna was looking at him in a serious fashion. "I've hated my father for a long time. Reborn, I don't care he's dead. He's made my life a living hell since I was 14. I barely passed each year because of him. If you want me to be really worried about somebody, hurt Takeshi. If you want me to be an emotional wreck, get yourself seriously wounded."

Reborn sat up and looked at Tsuna like he was crazy. "I just killed your father _in front of you _and you're saying you don't care?"

Tsuna sighed as he shifted forward. He sat on Reborn's hips and grabbed Reborn's face, hooking his fingers underneath his jaw. "You are the only person that I care about. Takeshi's like a brother to me, he's in America though so I know he's safe. Tsuyoshi-san is like the father I never had, but he went with Takeshi to America, so I know he's safe as well. You, Reborn though. I care about you like I've never cared about anybody before. So stop trying to say that I'll hate you. I know you're thinking it, I can see it in how you're moving around me, giving me space when I don't want it, giving curt replies when I want a full answer. Why are you acting like that?"

Reborn stared back with wavering steadiness. "The reason I think this is because I want you to be happy. You are the first person that actually_care _about. I know that something will happen to stop it so I distance myself when I get too attached. But I can't with you and I don't want to lose you."

Tsuna sighed through his nose. "You're an idiot for somebody so smart."

Reborn looked like he was about to protest when he was cut of by Tsuna kissing him. He kissed back on reflex and saw Tsuna shift so they could be closer. Tsuna wrapped his arms around Reborn's neck, Reborn wrapped his arms around Tsuna's waist, careful of his rib, and they started kissing back and forth. Neither wanting to relent but neither wanted to cross a boundary.

The need for air had them parting, Tsuna blushing deep red across his cheeks, and Reborn smirking at the blush. Tsuna placed is forehead against Reborn's and smiled shyly. "Like I said, an idiot."

"I resent that statement, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn retorted, but the bite in the insult was watered down by the look in Reborn's eyes.

And Tsuna knew that he was in good hands when he felt the gentleness that Reborn showed him. He saw just how ruthless he could be head-on but it didn't faze him. He knew that Reborn would never turn out like his father, he knew it.

So he was okay with crossing a few boundaries with Reborn.

* * *

**Edited 29/05/14**

***I don't feel like researching how people in Japan graduate but in Canada, you have a dance and you get a diploma to signify that you have your high school education. It's a huge thing, obviously, and people get dressed up for it. I was going to put it in the story but it didn't work that well so I changed the graduation date to three weeks.**

**OH MY JESUS, I'M FINALLY DONE THIS.**

**This is probably the longest one-shot I've done so far. I kept changing it so it was taking forever. But I finished it, it's almost 1 in the morning here in Canada, and I have like four other one-shots coming out soon. God I hate how creative I can get sometimes.**

**But I finally did it and will try my hardest to update my other stories for those that read them. I'll work on them but I don't know when I'll release some so no promises.**

**Reviews are really appreciated!**

**-Gate**


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